Defense Date

11-18-2013

Graduation Date

Fall 2013

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MA

Department

Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Michael Irwin

Committee Member

Evan Stoddard

Keywords

asset-based community development, asset-building, community development, neighborhood revitalization

Abstract

Revitalizing a distressed community is a difficult challenge. Oftentimes it can take decades to achieve. Pittsburgh's East Liberty and Lawrenceville neighborhoods had fallen on hard times in the late part of the 20th century. However, in recent years, both were able to identify and leverage the assets of the community as a part of their revitalization strategy. Led by the efforts of local community organizations, these communities developed innovative redevelopment strategies that ultimately produced meaningful revitalization in both neighborhoods. The following is a study to understand if and how asset-building theories of community development influenced the strategies used to revitalize East Liberty and Lawrenceville. Through the analysis of public data sets and semi-structured interviews with the community development and local government professionals, evidence suggests that assetbuilding theories did influence redevelopment strategies and did produce meaningful revitalization in both communities.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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